SEO importance: EMDs vs Backlinks?

[PhoenixFlex]

Hi,

I know this is a hot topic, but anyway:

I can buy an exact match domain for $10. I can also buy 1000 backlinks for $10 (or less depending on quality - eg 35 edu's).
But which is better (if I had to choose one for each niche site I create)?

Cheers,
Felix

[36burrows]

Why not both?

Nah I'm kidding, I'd get the EMD for sure.

I'm guessing 1000 backlinks for under $10 will be fairly low-quality links.

These days, quality greatly outweighs quantity at least in my experience.

[vtotheyouknow]

Originally Posted by 36burrows

Why not both?

Nah I'm kidding, I'd get the EMD for sure.

I'm guessing 1000 backlinks for under $10 will be fairly low-quality links.

These days, quality greatly outweighs quantity at least in my experience.

+1. EMD's still receive a bonus as they're considered "more relevant" by Google.

In terms of backlinks (and content), Quality + Relevance = High Rankings, period.

[MikeFriedman]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFlex

Hi,

I know this is a hot topic, but anyway:

I can buy an exact match domain for $10. I can also buy 1000 backlinks for $10 (or less depending on quality - eg 35 edu's).
But which is better (if I had to choose one for each niche site I create)?

Cheers,
Felix

Two things. First, if you believe that .edu links carry a stronger quality simply because they are .edu domains, you have been sorely mislead in your SEO education.

Once upon a time, people ignored the quality of most .edu pages and just focused on the fact that they were a .edu. It used to be much more difficult to get a .edu backlink. .edu domains were filled with much less spam and junk. Today, anyone can get a .edu page. My girlfriend is in college and could setup a .edu blog for me anytime I asked her to. On top of that, many college classes require students to maintain a blog as part of the class, but they never teach the student how to moderate their comments. What ends up happening is spammers find these pages and blast them with comments making them just as worthless as a spammed .com.

Short story, do not waste your time or money chasing .edu backlinks.

Secondly, I believe search engines have caught on to the EMD thing. I do not think they give them anywhere near the ranking boost they used to. Yes, if you are chasing a long tail keyword with no competition, it probably will make it easier to rank on the first page. EMD's have been so abused by the IM community and the search engines know it. I don't think they would allow their algorithms to be manipulated so easily.

Yeah, EMD's probably give you a little bit of a boost, but it is very little and not enough of a boost to go chasing them down. Some of my best rankings right now are with domain names that have nothing to do with the keywords.

[PhoenixFlex]

Originally Posted by MikeFriedman

Two things. First, if you believe that .edu links carry a stronger quality simply because they are .edu domains, you have been sorely mislead in your SEO education.

Once upon a time, people ignored the quality of most .edu pages and just focused on the fact that they were a .edu. It used to be much more difficult to get a .edu backlink. .edu domains were filled with much less spam and junk. Today, anyone can get a .edu page. My girlfriend is in college and could setup a .edu blog for me anytime I asked her to. On top of that, many college classes require students to maintain a blog as part of the class, but they never teach the student how to moderate their comments. What ends up happening is spammers find these pages and blast them with comments making them just as worthless as a spammed .com.

Short story, do not waste your time or money chasing .edu backlinks.

Secondly, I believe search engines have caught on to the EMD thing. I do not think they give them anywhere near the ranking boost they used to. Yes, if you are chasing a long tail keyword with no competition, it probably will make it easier to rank on the first page. EMD's have been so abused by the IM community and the search engines know it. I don't think they would allow their algorithms to be manipulated so easily.

Yeah, EMD's probably give you a little bit of a boost, but it is very little and not enough of a boost to go chasing them down. Some of my best rankings right now are with domain names that have nothing to do with the keywords.

Thanks for the wisdom - everyone in fact.

Mike, I can see you're not a fan of EMDs or backlinking. You also seem like a man who knows what he's saying. So - what would you use for your SE rankings?

[JamesGw]

Both are pretty important. EMD is declining as a ranking factor, though.

[JSProjects]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFlex

Hi,

I know this is a hot topic, but anyway:

I can buy an exact match domain for $10. I can also buy 1000 backlinks for $10 (or less depending on quality - eg 35 edu's).
But which is better (if I had to choose one for each niche site I create)?

Cheers,
Felix

Go for the EMD. Especially if it's a low(ish) competition keyword. You shouldn't need "1,000 backlinks" if the competition isn't too strong.

[JSProjects]

Originally Posted by JamesGw

Both are pretty important. EMD is declining as a ranking factor, though.

You're right. EMD's aren't what they used to be. But they do still give you a small boost. Every little bit helps.

An EMD + good on-page SEO + some decent backlinks will still outrank a non-EMD with the same backlinks and on-page SEO.